7-May-98

                 Card Level and System Level Testing
            -----------------------------------------------

Card commissioning will involve several steps:

    - Visual and electrical tests using a DC Ohmmeter and visual inspection
        and a VME Interface PROM will be installed.

    - Test-Stand(*) tests to verify that all FPGAs can be configured, and that
        the card can pass random VME register test.

    - Test-Stand and/or Test-Rack(*) Connectivity Tests, described here, to
        verify and exercize as much of the on card circuitry as possible.
        This test is at slow speed and does not involve the intended
        function of the card.  The Test-Rack itself and the production system
        will also be commissioned using this test to verify cabling.

    - Test-Rack or Production(*) Single-Chance System Tests where the full
        system functionality is exercize at full speed by giving it only
        a single chance to update its decisions once its inputs have been
        modified.

    (*) A Test-Stand is one backplane with power supply on a cart.
        The Test-Rack is a representative subset of the full system.
        The Production system is the Hardware Trigger System delivered at DZero.

As a diagnostic tool for the production system, the Connectivity Test should be
able to probe any subset of the full system, in situ, and without moving cards or
cables.  We might want to locate a problem detected offline or might want to
exercize the system during down time.  The Connectivity Test should be used for
diagnostics together with the Single-Chance System Test. The Connectivity test
can help weeding out connection problems before using the Single-Chance System
Test to concentrate on functionality and timing issues.

The Connectivity Test should be configurable and adaptable to run on a
Test-Stand, Test-Rack or on the Production system while concentrating on a single
connection, a single card, a single functionality or the whole system. It should
use modular ascii configuration files to describe the connections under test.

The goal of the Connectivity Test is to cover all possible types of connections,
including
    - cables
    - connectors
    - on board traces
    - part placement
    - soldering